heard the news only indirectly.

But among them all Jack was the only one who appeared hopeful. She outwardly showed the effect of the anxiety and grief over their friend far less than Frank. But Frieda at least realized that courage was her sister's strongest characteristic.

There had always been something gallant about Jack from the time she was a little girl—the[131] carriage of her head; the look in her eyes—everything about her revealed this.

[131]

And tonight Frieda appreciated the fact more clearly than any one else. There was no friend in the world so loyal as Jack; and no one more anxious to help those for whom she cared. Frieda knew that whatever else she might say during the evening, she was in reality thinking only of her husband's friend and her own, alone and dying, perhaps with no one near him for whom he cared.

As early as possible Jack and Frank went upstairs together, since Frank showed the effect of the strain by being uncommonly tired.

They had gone into their own rooms and Jack was slowly beginning to undress when an idea came to her; and she went at once into her husband's room.

Frank, she found sitting on the side of his bed.

"Bryan's letter, Frank," Jack remarked quickly. "Don't you think you ought to open it? He said that if anything happened to him you were to read it first, and afterwards I was to see the letter if you thought best. I remember he seemed much in earnest when he gave it to me."

Frank frowned, and then shook his head.[132]

[132]

"Do you know I had forgotten, Jack? But I don't think Bryan meant us to disturb the letter until we know that the worst has happened to him and we don't know this yet; we only fear it."

For a moment Jack was silent, but when she spoke again her voice and manner expressed a quiet firmness.

"I think you are mistaken, Frank. There must be something in Bryan's letter that he wants us to do for him. It may be something that would come afterwards, but it also may be something that we could do for him now. Of course you must judge, but this is the way I feel about it."

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